No support for Sony Content Browser..Now what does one do?

This is not a bitch and moan post it's just a super loyal user looking to insure a future work flow.

I have just been told by M100 support that "that there actually isn't a plan for developing further support for the Sony Content browser". Seeing as our workflow is based on XDcam this is a major issue. With the video market becoming more price competitive by the year an efficient workflow is imperative. The lack of support for Sony's Xdcam browser is starting me thinking about another platform.

This may sound confusing, and I hope I get this right. Since going to Mountain Lion, I have been using Content Browser to copy BPAV folders from cards to hard drives, and that seems to be working fine. But to actually import XDCAM footage, and I just double checked this in Media 1000 v 2.1.3, what is used, called by Media100 when you pick Import XDCAM from the file menu, and still works is XDCAM Transfer. Mine seems to be v 2.13. I rtemember a few bits of versions ago, making the assumption that the Content Browser would handle all that stuff (copying and import) but found that Media 100 didn't reach for the new app but the older one, so I had to reinstall it.

So, it seems odd, but I think Media 100 support didn't give a full answer or didn't explain themselves well.

That said, I have taken to often using Premiere Pro as a front end for reviewing and doing some initial corrections to all footage I intend to import into M100, including XDCAM, rendering them all to ProRes, which is what I usually wind up editing in. Which is to say that there are other ways to do the XDCAM workflow.

Well, I also noticed a difference when I went on to Mountain Lion but, although it works slightly differently, I can still use Sony Transfer to import media shot on the Sony EX on the S X S cards. I don't use Content Browser at all, I transfer the BPAV folders straight on to drives through my MacBook Pro. The I use the old Transfer to import as ProRes into Media 100. I'm hoping to be able to continue doing this in the future, I don't see why not.

There's no doubt that Mountain Lion has changed the game as far as Transfer is concerned but different people find different problems. Mine is merely that I have to click on the drive, then the folder, then I get a very complicated message about all sorts of rubbish errors. I ignore this and eventually all the clips in the BPAV folder come in to the box and I'm away. After that it's as before. I have no problem with just sticking with Transfer for importing. If you need more than that then there seem to be conflicts, with Media 100 it is suggested, which is worrying.

Yeah I get the thumbnail error which means I have to click ok for every clip to make it work. Which is not only annoying but time wasting. I downloaded a trial of Premiere and gave it a shot ..Quite nice and speedy, maybe it's time for a change .

I really enjoy the ability to open and work with many codecs in Premiere, particularly XDCam EX and Nikon H264. I have been doing selects and color correction in Premiere with a CUDA video card, and this has been a very good experience. At that point, I export my selects and perhaps some graphics from Premiere as ProRes, and import to Media 100. I find that I much prefer the Media 100 editing interface for it's power, simplicity, and stability. On the Mac it just works. With Premiere, you get the feeling that the Mac is a bit of a stepchild to the PC. For many years, Premiere was almost exclusively used on the PC, and I am afraid that it shows, especially in the area of stability. I imagine it will improve, as they are after all of the dissatisfied Final Cut users. However, as Media 100 was originally written exclusively for the Mac and is now a Mac only program, I feel much more confident that I will be able to finish a program, especially long form, without the headaches many are experiencing with Premiere. Most of my work is documentary, and Media 100 lends itself very well to that form. I was very glad to see the 2.1.3 update, as that is a good indication of future hardware, and one would hope, future OSX support. As long as these two items are being addressed by Media 100, new hardware and new Macs and new versions of OSX, it will continue to be my finishing application. I have absolutely no intention of moving to a Windows computer.

Thank you for an excellent overview. I just purchased production suite as I had some files from a Aja Ki Pro that just swamped the Media 100 Suite but played fine in Premiere. I'm getting the impression that M100 is getting a little tired under the hood.

IMHO I was not happy when they started supporting RED which is very upmarket to most of us, coupled with their apparent lack of support for native XDcam I'm getting mixed messages as to their roadmap.